Garment supporter



.Fully 117, i934. C, E. BYRNE 1,966,709

GARMENT SUPPORTER Filed sept. 1o, 1952 Patented July 17, 1934 GARMENT SUlll\f)lttTllR` Carolyn E. Byrne, Holliston, Mass. Application September 10, 1932, Serial No. 632,555

7 Claims.

This invention relates to garment supporters, especially for womens wear, of the type including a clasp suspended from a loop formed in the y end of a band of elastic webbing. In a supporter of thisvtype, the clasp usually consists of a closed metal loop having a narrow lower portiomand a button with a neck adapted to fit snugly in the narrow portion of the loop so as to grip and hold the margin of a stocking or other 1d garment which is clamped between the neck of the button and the adjacent portions of the metal loop. As there is often considerable tension on the supporter when in use, there is a tendency on the part of the clasp to press against the wearer. If the vsupporter is worn next to the skin, this often causes considerable discomfort as well as exposing the clasp to corrosive action of bodily perspiration. Attempts have been made in the past to remedy this difficulty by interposing a shield between the clasp and the body, but such attempts have not been entirely successful owing to the wrinkling and gathering effect on such shields arising from relative rubbing movements between the supporter and the skin when j the wearer is Walking. It is an object of the present invention to provide a supporter with a shield which is simple and inexpensive, and which not only protects the wearer from contact with the metal parts of the clasp, but also is free fron any tendency toward gathering or displacemen For a more complete understanding of the invention reference may be had to the disclosure thereof in the following description of an embodiment thereof, and to the drawing, of which,-

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a garment supporter embodying the invention.

Figure 2 is a section on the lineA 2-2 of Figure 1.

4a Figure 3 is a perspective View ofportions of the supporter, indicating the manner of assembling the parts.

Referring to Figure 1, the supporter, as shown, consists of a conventional clasp suspended from a loop 10 formed by turning back the end portion of a strip 11 of elastic webbing or other suitable supporting material, the turned back end being adjustably held by a suitable buckle 12. The garment-supporting clasp itself may be of conventionalstructure. As shown, it consists of an' upper loop 15 of rigid material such as metal, and a lower loop 16, ordinarily vof the same material.V 'Ihese loops may be linked together as by a metal link 17. The upper metal loop 15 is i suspendeddirectly from the loop 10 of webbing,

(Cl. PAI- 1) the strip of webbing being passed through this upper metal loop before the terminal loop is formed therein. The lower metal loop has a wide portion 20 to receive a button 21, the lower portion of this loop being narrowed as at 22 to be engaged snugly by the sides of the neck 23 oi the button 21, whereby a portion of the garment to be supported may be clamped between the neck 23 and the narrow portion 22 of the metal loop. A guard member 24 may span the lower metal loop 16 just above the button-receiving portion 20 so as to guide the button when it is inserted in the loop. The button 21 is ordinarily furnished with a flat base 26 of metal or other suitable material. ift,

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, a strip of tape 27 or other suitable exible material is assembled with the button 21, the button itself being passed through a hole on the center line of the tape, the side marginal portions of the tape being folded back under the base 26 of the button. The longitudinally folded tape is then passed through the upper metal loop 15 and back through the upper portion of the lower metal loop 16 above the guard member 24. The free ends of the strip gf. of tape are then scwed together as at 30 so as to make a closed loop hanging from the upper metal loop .15 and supporting the button 21 behind the lower; portion 22 of the metal loop 16. According to the present invention I provide a shield 35 of flexible shape-retaining material, preferably water-resistant or water-repellent. For this purpose I find sheet rubber faced on both sides with a textile fabric toV be satisfactory, the rubber layer being preferably thick enough to re- 5.@ tain a substantially flat shape if left to itself. As shown in Figures 1 and 3, this shield 35 is of a size and shape to underlie the entire clasp suspended from the loop 10. The shield 35 is preferably provided with a pair of horizontal slits 36 and 37 near its upper end, the -slit 36 being long enough to receive the webbing 11, the slit 37 being long enough to receive the folded tape 27. The shield 35 is assembled with the other members which constitute the complete clasp so that both the upper and lower portions of the shield are held against curling, wrinkling, or displacement, and the shield itself is held hat in suitable position underlying the entire clasp. To this end, when the free end of the webbing 11 is folded 1C back to form the loop 10 this end portion is passed rearwardly through the metal loop 15, then through the slit 36, then upwardly behind the standing portion ofthe webbing to be secured in the buckle 12. Thus the upper portion 40 of 3.10

- shield element of the shield 35 is retained in flat condition between the front and rear folds of the loop 10. This denitely prevents any curling of the upper end edge of the shield 35 by rubbing contact with a body surface of the user. The lower portion of the shield 35 is maintained flat in position by the loop of tape 27. This may be accomplished by securing the lower portion of the shield to the tape loop, by enclosing it in the tape loop, or by both securing it to and enclosing it in the tape loop. In the embodiment illustrated, the lower` slit 37 in the shield is suitably spaced from the slit 36 so as to lie behind the link 17 when the slit 36 is substantially on a level with the upper portion of the loop l5, as shown. In forming the folded tape 27 into a loop, the base of the button 2l is placed against the front face of the lower portion of the shield 35, the long end of the tape 27 hanging downwardly. This long end is turned back under the lower end of the shield 35, is passed forwardly through the slit 37 and the upper metal loop 15, then downwardly and rearwardly through the upper portion of the lower metal loop i6, then downwardly behind the metal loop and against the forward face of the shield 35 until it is lapped by the free end 4l of the strip of folded tape. These ends may then be sewed together to complete the loop, the stitches being preferably made to pass not only through the overlapping ends but through the shield 35 and the rearward portion of the tape 27 lying against the rear face of the shield. This securely anchors the lower portion of the shield in place with reference to the button 2l and the loop of tape 27. The resultant structure is simple, easily assembled, and is not subject to wrinkling orundesirable distortion of the shield member when in use, the upper end portion 40 being held flat between the folds of the loop 10, the lower portion of the shield being held against the base 26 of the button by the rearward fold of the tape 27,

It will be evident to one skilled in the art that various modifications and changes may be made in the structure herein shown and described without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.

I claim:

1. A garment supporter comprising a clasp suspended from a loop of elastic webbing, said clasp including rigid loops, a button adapted to engage in one of said rigid loops to grip a portion of the garment to be supported, a flexible loop carrying said button and suspended from a portion of said rigid loops, anda substantially flat flexible shape-retaining material of a size and shape to underlie all said rigid loops, said shield element having its upper portion arranged within said loop of elastic webbing and its lower portion within said flexible loop.

2. A garment supporter comprising a strip of elastic webbing terminating in a flat loop, a member of comparatively rigid material suspended from said loop and terminating downwardly in a narrow loop, a button normally engaged in said narrow loop, and a shield of flexible shape-retaining material underlying the entire rigid member and button, said shield being arranged with its upper end portion within the loop of webbing and its lower end portion behind said button.

3. In a garment supporter adapted to be suspended from a loop of elasticv webbing and including upper and lower metal loops, a shield ofl flexible shape-retaining material underlying said metal loops, said shield having an upper slit near its top to receive said loop of webbing and a lower slit near said upper slit, a loop of flexible tape passing through said upper metal loop and said lower slit, said tape for the most part engaging the front and rear faces of said shield and passing under the lower end thereof, and a button carried by said tape for engagement in said lower metal loop.

4. A garment supporter adapted to be suspended fromy a loop of elastic webbing, comprising upper and lower metal loops secured to each other, the upper metal loop having a horizontal top portion engaging in said loop of webbing, the lower metal loop having a narrowed lower portion, a substantially flat shield member of flexible shape-retaining material shaped and adapted to underlie both said metal loops, said shield having an upper horizontal slit therein to receive said webbing adjacent to the top of the upper metal loop, said shield having a lower horizontal slit therein, a loop of tape having its upper portion passing through both metal loops and through said lower slit in the shield and its lower portion passed around the lower end of said shield, a button secured to said flexible loop for engagement in the narrow portion of the lower metal loop, and stitching above the button through the front and back of the flexible loop and the shield.

5,. A garment supporter adapted to be suspended from a loop of elastic webbing, comprising an upper metal loop linked with said loop of webbing, a lower metal loop below said upper loop terminating in a narrowed portion, a flexible loop passing through said metal loops and hanging behind the lower metal loop, a button secured to the lower portion of said flexible loop to engage in the narrow portion of the metal loop, and a shield of flexible shape-retaining material adapted to underlie said metal loops, said shield lying partly within said flexible loop, said shield having an upper horizontal slit to receive said webbing adjacent to the top of the upper metal loop, said shield also having a lower slit to receive the upper end of the flexible loop.

6. In a garment supporter consisting of a clasp suspended from a loop of elastic webbing, said clasp comprising an upper metal loop, a lower metal loop swingably suspended from the upper loop and having a narrowed lower portion, a flexible loop passing through the two metal loops and suspended behind the lower metal loop, a button carriedby said flexible loop and engageable in the narrow portion of the lower metal loop; a substantially flat shield of flexible shape-retaining material adapted to underlie the entire clasp, said shield having its lower portion secured to said flexible loop and a slit in its upper portion adjacent to the top of the upper metal loop, the elastic webbing passing through said upper metal loop and said slit.

7. A garment supporter comprising a clasp suspended from a loop of elastic webbing, said clasp including rigid loops, a button adapted to engage in a lower loop to grip a portion of a garment to be supported, flexible button-supporting means dending from an upper loop, and a substantially flat shield element of flexible shape-retaining material of a size and shape to underlie all said loops, said shield element having a slit in its upper portion to receive said loop of elastic webbing, .the lower portion of said shield being secured to the button-supporting element at a point such that the shield itself is substantially supported by said element.

' CAROLYN E. BYRNE. 

